Oklahoma lawmakers, homeschool parents discuss Tim Tebow bill

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Oklahoma lawmakers are discussing whether homeschoolers should be able to get involved in public school extracurricular activities. Fox 25 attended the interim study at the State Capitol surrounding this issue today.

"I think there has to be a level playing field," State Rep. Mark Vancuren (R-Owasso) said.

On Tuesday, some lawmakers said they have concerns about the Tim Tebow bill possibly coming to Oklahoma. They want homeschoolers and public school students to have to follow the same guidelines.

"It'd be very hard for me to support something like this until I see some equality across the board," State Rep. Danny Sterling (R-Tecumseh) said.

The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) shared that it surveyed its 482 partner schools. They learned their partners don't want homeschoolers in public schools extracurriculars.

"What we hear more than anything else is the funding and the resource allocation piece to that," OSSAA executive director David Jackson said.

Homeschool parent Beth Mann from Sparks spoke in favor of the idea, adding that she has to travel hours so her kids can participate in activities.

"If homeschool children were allowed to participate in their local school activities, it would be a way to revitalize some of the small town dwindling athletics and participation in many rural communities," Mann said.

After hearing from both sides, State Rep. John Kane (R-Bartlesville) said he's going to check in with other states that have the Tim Tebow bill in place and find out how they set their guidelines.

"I'm not the kind of person that wants to try to jam anything down anybody's throat," Kane said. "I want something that works for everybody."

Fox 25 asked Kane if he still plans on writing a bill about this for the next legislative session. He told our newsroom that remains to be seen, and he has some work to do.